Opposite dugout: Padres showing signs of life in June

Manager: Andy Green (1^st season)

Record: 33-44

Last 10 games: 6-4

Who to watch: 1B Wil Myers (.282 average, 17 HR, 50 RBIs); CF Jon Jay (.296 average, 24 2B, 80 hits); LF Melvin Upton (.261 average, 11 HR, 17 SB); SP Christian Friedrich (4-2, 3.60 ERA); RP Kevin Quackenbush (5-3, 3.77 ERA).

Season series vs. Orioles: 1-1

Pitching probables:

June 28: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez vs. RHP Erik Johnson, 10:10 p.m., MASN2
June 29: RHP Yovani Gallardo vs. LHP Christian Friedrich, 3:40 p.m., MASN

Inside the Padres:

Prior to last Tuesday, the Padres and the Orioles hadn't seen each other since the 2013 season. Tonight, they'll meet for the second time in a week.

And for a lot of Orioles fans, keeping an eye on all of the happenings in the National League West division is reduced to looking at the standings, or maybe catching the occasional highlight from Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. A quick glance at this year's current race shows the Padres in the basement, bumbling along with a 33-44 record.

But after the Padres and Orioles split a two-game series in Baltimore just a week ago, Orioles fans know this Padres team can certainly play better than their record shows. In fact, with a winning record in June, the Padres are showing they aren't ready to be written off quite yet.

Fans who watched the series at Camden Yards saw just how dangerous the Padres' offense can be. Though they earned a series split, the Padres averaged six runs per game in the two contests, led by right fielder Matt Kemp, who went 6-for-10 in the series, including four hits in the team's 10-7 win in the opener. Kemp is currently tied for second on the team with 80 hits and is first in RBIs with 53. First baseman Wil Myers is having a nice season, hitting .282 and leading the team with 17 home runs. Myers won Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 with the Rays, but hit just 14 home runs over the next two seasons, so it certainly looks like the 25-year-old has gotten on track.

Meanwhile, the Orioles will face two pitchers having very different results this season. Tuesday's pitching matchup is a repeat of last week's series finale, as right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez takes the mound against right-hander Erik Johnson. These two faced off six days ago and it was Jimenez who came out on top in the Orioles' 7-2 win. Johnson struggled in his fifth loss of the year, lasting only four innings and allowing six earned runs on nine hits. It was Johnson's shortest outing of the season and kept him still chasing that elusive first win. In fact, Johnson has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his five starts, a scary proposition when facing a lineup that is just five home runs away from setting the all-time mark for the month of June. Left-hander Christian Friedrich will start Wednesday's day game for the Padres. Friedrich is an impressive 4-2 on the year and has won three of his five starts in June. He posted a 2.12 ERA through June 12, but after allowing a combined 10 earned runs since that time, Friedrich's ERA has risen to 3.60.

Closer Fernando Rodney has been lights out for the Padres, and will likely be the team's representative in next month's All-Star game, a nice treat for the host city. Rodney has allowed just one earned run all season, though coincidentally enough it came against the Orioles just a week ago in the late innings of San Diego's 10-7 win. He and reliever Kevin Quackenbush, who boasts a 5-3 record along with one of the coolest names in sports, make the bullpen the Padres' strongest unit.